Last updated at 13:19, Thursday, 06 September 2012

A FATHER of three young children whose home was devastated in last Wednesday night’s torrential downpour in Egremont has described a “river running down the main road”.

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DAVID WOODBURN, who lives with his partner STEPHANIE HANLON and their children, aged four, two and six months, was alerted to the raging torrent outside by neighbours banging on his door just before midnight.

“I was in bed and when I woke up and looked outside – it was like River Ehen running down the main road,” said David, of Croadella Avenue, part of the Orgill estate that was hit after several local becks burst their banks.

“We tried to block the doors, but it was still coming in, going under the lino in the kitchen and running right through the house. A lot of our stuff has been ruined.

“It was terrible. We were doing all we could – trying to keep the kids away from the water as they were awake and excited by the sound of the fire engines.”

Around 30 homes were said to have been affected on the Orgill estate, particularly in the area of Croadella Avenue and its side streets Dryden Way and Keats Drive.

Many gardens were filled with ruined carpet, flooring and furniture that had been emptied from flooded homes.

MARK and SALLY BENNETT, of Dryden Way, found their wooden floor “floating in a stream” that came through their front door.

“We live near Skirting Beck and it can’t cope with heavy rainfall and our hallway is flooded quite often, but this was the worst we’ve ever seen,” Mark said. “Our whole garden was underwater and the water just came gushing right through the house, ruining the hallway, living room and kitchen floors, and streaming through the walls into our neighbour’s home.”

Sally added: “We can’t claim on our insurance because we are within 250 metres of a beck, and they won’t pay out. We’ll have to pay for all the damage ourselves. It’s very frustrating.”

For RUTH MULCASTER, 78, of Keats Drive, it’s the third time her home has been flooded in the 30 years she has lived there. “It was fine when I went to bed at 10pm, but then it started all of a sudden,” she said. “We had boards up but they just didn’t work. We got sandbags delivered around 3am but it was just too late. The carpets have been ruined all the way through”

A group of neighbours came to Mrs Mulcaster’s aid during the night. One of them, ELAINE McQUIRE, of Keats Drive, said: “Everyone was out helping everyone else, but the water was coming so fast that there wasn’t much could be done. I was lucky because we had levelled out our garden a few years ago, which helped stop the water from running into our home.”

Residents of Church View in Egremont town centre had to be evacuated from their homes early on Thursday morning. A reception centre was set up in the nearby Market Hall for the residents, many of whom were elderly. It has been confirmed that 14 bungalows on Church View were affected.

BILLY CONWAY, of Milton Road, said: “We’ve been asking for flood defences in Egremont for 50 years – and we’re still asking today.”

First published at 11:05, Thursday, 06 September 2012
Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk